Average MLB Player Salary Nearly Double NFL's, But Still Trails NBA's

Kurt Badenhausen
,
Forbes Staff
I cover sports business with rare dips into b-schools, local economies

Update: More current average player salaries and highest-paid players for major U.S. sports leagues can be found here.

Major League Baseball is flush with cash right now thanks to skyrocketing TV rights fees, both local and national. The latest example is the $210 million, seven-year contract handed out to Max Scherzer this week by the Washington Nationals (the deal is valued at $191 million by MLB because of $105 million in deferred money). It is the biggest contract ever for a right-handed pitcher and only trails Clayton Kershaw's $215 million deal among all pitchers.

The average MLB salary was $3.82 million during the 2014 season, up 12.8%, according to the MLB Players Association (the league office calculates the average figure at $3.73 million using a slightly different methodology). It marked the biggest annual increase since the 2001 season. The average salary is expected to top $4 million in 2015. MLB gross revenue hit a record $9 billion for the 2014 season.

Max Scherzer has reason to smile after inking a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Washington Nationals.

MLB players are well-paid, but can't match their counterparts in the NBA in terms of average salary. The NBA has a cap on individual player salaries, but the smaller rosters help prop up the average. The NFL has the lowest average of the four sports, but also the biggest roster with 53 players, more than twice MLB/NHL and nearly four times the typical NBA roster. Below are the average salaries in the four major U.S. sports with the most recently available data, as well as the top-paid guy in each sport. Minimum salaries are similar across the sports with the NFL lagging behind the other leagues.

NBA Average Salary: $4.9 million for the 2013-14 season. Kobe Bryant was the top-paid player at $30.45 million for the 2013-14 season, as well as this year at $23.5 million. The minimum salary was $490, 180 ($507,336 for 2014-15).

MLB Average Salary: $3.82 million for the 2014 season. Cliff Lee had the highest salary at $25 million. The minimum salary in MLB was $500,000 ($490,000 in 2013).

NHL Average Salary: $2.58 million for 2013-14 season. The top salary last year was for Shea Weber at $14 million. The minimum salary was $550,000 (same in 2014-15).

NFL Average Salary:$2 million for the 2013 season (the 2014 figure is still being finalized and will be slightly higher). The 2013 average is the same as it was in 2010. Jay Cutler had the highest base salary in 2014 at $17.5 million. Matt Ryan received the most cash at $24.5 million, including bonuses. The minimum salary for the 2013 season was $405,000 ($420,000 for 2014).